Starting Point
Hnin Aye Ko is a medical doctor involved in Public Health, Population Service International (PSI- INGO) and Private Agency Collaborative Together (PACT, Myanmar), U.S.-funded for HIV Prevention, Reproductive Health inter alia. In addition, she has obtained a Master’s Degree in “Developmental Studies” from the Yangon Institute of Economics. She studied “Women’s Issues” after attending the “International Visitor for Leadership” program in New York, Washington D.C., Texas and Seattle in 2015.
Later, she shifted her career to “Social skills for school drop-outs” and participated in addressing problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, empathy, communication, and interpersonal relationships. She also addressed social issues such as bully-boy tactics, bribery, forced conversion in mixed marriages, hate speech, and religious extremism.
She has no one to name as her role model; her motto is “no one is perfect."
Peace Journey
Some of her many activities include organising interfaith dialogue in 49 townships except in Rakhine State after the Meikhtila crisis in 2013, visiting places of worship, and clarifying hate speech on Islam. Her main activities vary from religious teachings towards peace and anti-forced conversion in mixed marriages to adjusting the economic gap by setting up her own “Women Development Cooperative Ltd.”
In 2016, she conducted vocational training in making soap, shoes, “Myanma Thanakhar,” textile bags, clothing, food processing, and farming in Yangon, Mon, and Kayin States and Sittwe and Thandwe in Rakhine State. The "Women Centre" set up in Sittwe is still active, especially in producing candles, soap, and scarves, in compliance with the motto "Engagement through Business", involving Buddhists and Muslims.
A "Mental Counselling Centre" has also been set up in Yankin, Yangon Region, covering yoga, art therapy, craftsmanship, and meditation. In the future, the mental counselling centres will be operated in Hsihseng in Southern Shan State and Kyauktaw and Sittwe in Rakhine State. At present, medical services are being provided with dignity and sanitation kits. She has also worked on food production classes for fish, fish paste, soy sauce, and dry noodles.
Success Stories
She received the USAID grant for "Peace Foundation" in 2018, conducted at the church, Madrasa Islamic School, Dhama Buddhist school, and Hindu learning centres. She conducted a simplified course of the U.S. Institute of Peace curriculum covering: understanding peace and conflict, mediation, peacebuilding, mitigation with social skills and media literacy in Pyin Oo Lwin.
Hence, she received an award from Elazar Islamic Institute, Malaysia's Myanmar Branch. In late 2019, a workshop on "Peace Education" to integrate non-formal primary education was held in Mandalay, where she taught 25 philanthropic Buddhist and 30 Madrasa Islamic schools. After gaining access to networking, she went to Kyauktaw in Rakhine State in May 2019, where she undertook an "Orphan Support" Program, funded by the U.S., Germany, and the U.K.
Through "Engagement through Business Approach," she successfully conducted online classes for making masks, soaps, dead body bags, hand gel, and scarves during the COVID-19 outbreak in Rakhine State. She also conducted cooking classes on Indian and Rakhine food, as well as farm-to-table practice. She observed both Myanmar New Year respect-paying and Islam fast-breaking occasions, inviting both Buddhists and Muslims to join in. She helped Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to take refuge at the community-owned centres in Sittwe, Rakhine State. She published a journal article on "Religious Reconciliation" in 2015-16. She also arranged “Edutainment" programs of cultural dances, drama, and songs on peace.
In her opinion, a curriculum for peace processes should be simplified in conformity with religious concepts, training of trainers, pilot teaching to be analysed and revised, and disseminating knowledge via networking from the perspective of both the "bird‘s-eye view" and "grass-roots level.” The commitments to peace and the actual needs of the country and the people should be considered.
Regarding the challenges, it was difficult to remain neutral and balanced without losing one's vision and mission in peace issues. She perceived that simultaneously achieving both success and popularity is impossible. It is challenging to balance among religious leaders.